Love Overcomes Daily Devotion #13 2/24/16

Day #13

Larry Trotter

Words of Love

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Luke 18:22-23 NIV

Overcoming the Barrier

Doing research in a subfield of psychology focusing on self and identity the research team of Lewis and Brooks-Gunn observed children between 18 and 24 months looking to a mirror. They discovered that if a smudge were placed on their foreheads, most of the children would not only notice it but also recognize that it was their face and attempt to wipe off the smudge. Other psychologists have built on their work revealing a fascinating picture of how we understand who we are and the internal and external forces that shape identity. At risk of reading more into today’s passage than appears on the surface I propose that the rich ruler who came to Jesus seeking eternal life was faced with an identity crisis. By Luke’s identification as “ruler” we understand that his wealth had secured him power and prominence.  He approaches Jesus by calling him “good teacher,” perhaps expecting Jesus to return the compliment as deference to such an important man. Jesus replies that no one is good except God alone deferring even his own identity to that of his Father, our first clue that Jesus may be alert to the ruler’s identity crisis. Answering the ruler’s question about acquiring eternal life Jesus sets him up by confirming that the man knows the commandments that any Jewish man would know. The ruler responds by saying he had kept them all since childhood. Sensing that the identity the commandments were designed to form may not have taken shape in his heart Jesus adds one last caveat to sell everything and give it away. The ruler was crushed. His wealth secured his station in life and defined his self-worth. It’s important to note that immediately prior to this exchange people were bringing their babies for Jesus to bless, which the ruler likely witnessed. Innocence, not arrogance, is the doorway to the kingdom and the ruler’s identity crisis placed him somewhere between the two.  

Where do we find our identity? Is our identity dependent upon money and possessions, work, power and influence, physical appearance? Though there are complex psychological and sociological dynamics at play in this scene, the lesson is fairly straightforward. The things in which we locate our self-identity can become barriers to our identification with Jesus and his kingdom. Good gifts such as money, possessions, relationships, influence, and others can become smudges on our lives that mask our need for true identity in Jesus. Maybe it’s time to look into the mirror.

Prayer

Revealing God, look into my heart and show me the things that compete with you for my identity. In Jesus’ name, amen.